NBRPA ANNOUNCES NEW HIRES

October 24, 2013

The National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA), the only Association comprised of NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters and WNBA alumni, today announced the hiring of Scott Rochelle as General Counsel/Vice President, Membership, Player & Chapter Development and Diana Vdovets as Vice President, Event Management & External Relations. Both full-time hires will be based in the NBRPA’s national office in downtown Chicago.

Rochelle has been a member of the NBRPA family since 2011, having served as legal counsel to the association as a corporate transactions and commercial litigation attorney with Querrey & Harrow, Ltd. Prior to his relationship with the NBRPA, Rochelle gained substantive experience in professional sports representation as a partner in the firm’s sports management practice group. Rochelle received his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College and his Masters in Education and law degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In his full-time position with the NBRPA, Rochelle will continue to serve as legal counsel, while also overseeing the development of membership, local chapters and programming for former players.

“Scott Rochelle has served as a trusted legal resource to our organization for some time,” said NBRPA President & CEO Arnie D. Fielkow. “We are excited to expand his role into membership, player and chapter development as a full-time staff member of the NBRPA.”

Vdovets comes to the NBRPA with a wealth of event planning experience, most recently with Crain’s Chicago Business. Prior to her time with Crain’s, Vdovets served as Director of Meeting & Convention Services for ABTS Convention Services in Miami. A graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Vdovets will oversee the NBRPA’s growing calendar of events, including NBA All-Star Weekend, the Legends World Sports Conference and the new Legends Fantasy Weekend fundraiser. Vdovets will also contribute to key external relationships for the NBRPA, working in step with corporate leadership, the President/CEO and the Board of Directors.

“The NBRPA has grown its membership more than 30 percent over the past two years and with that growth we are expanding our event calendar,” Fielkow said. “With that in mind, we needed to bring an expert in the field of event management on to our senior team and I am confident Diana Vdovets will successfully fill that role.”

Both new hires have already started working for the NBRPA, joining a staff that is rich in relevant sports and corporate experience. As a non-profit association, the NBRPA carries a two-pronged mission to assist former NBA, ABA, Harlem Globetrotters and WNBA players in their transition from the playing court into life after the game, while also positively impacting communities and youth through basketball.

“I am tremendously excited to have our new and current staff working with me to fulfill the NBRPA's missions,” Fielkow said. “Our staff is tremendously unified and – with their and our Board's help – I believe the future of the NBRPA is very bright.”